Ralph Bielenberg

Ralph Bielenberg grew up in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood and graduated from Washington High School. He began his study of piano and began singing at the Presbyterian Church at age 9. Ralph continued to sing at the same church until 2017. He graduated from UWM in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Education. His major course of study was English, with minors in French and Social Studies. He received his MA in English in 1968 from UW-Madison. Ralph spent his entire professional life in the Milwaukee Public School system. He was a secondary school instructor of English from 1958 until 1991, a total of 33 years. The majority of these years were spent at John Marshall High School, where he also directed plays and served as English Department Chair for 20 years. Since retiring from MPS, Ralph continues teaching literature for four Milwaukee area senior programs at Waukesha County Technical College, Whitefish Bay Methodist Church, Clement Manor, and Elm Grove Methodist Church. Ralph has been involved with Early Music Now since its inception in 1987. He has served multiple terms as a board member, and since 1992 has been the coordinator of the organization’s annual silent auction.